I tried out supermarket own-brand oven cleaners – and one budget version left mine sparkling | The Sun
CLEANING the oven is a tedious task many of us put off.
But a professional clean can cost upward of £50 and is a luxury many of us can’t afford.
Are there any products that can make it easier for us to tackle all that burnt-on grease and grime to deliver a spotless finish?
We asked mum-of-three Lynsey Hope to try out a selection of the best-selling cleaners to see which fared best.
Lynsey, 41, from West Malling, Kent, said: “Scrubbing the oven is my least favourite chore. So much grease builds up.
I did get a quote for a professional clean but I was being quoted over £100 so I didn't want to pay that.
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I’m really hoping to find a product that gets it sparkling clean for a good price without taking me all day!”
Here’s what happened…
WINNER: Elbow Grease Oven Cleaning Kit
- £11.95
- amazon.co.uk
Lynsey says: “This was a great kit. Simply put racks to soak in the bags provided, ideally overnight.
"You can then apply solution to the oven and leave it to soak for at least four hours, before removing with a sponge and rinsing it with hot soapy water.
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"Our oven was pretty filthy but came up like new after using this. The racks were so black I'd almost forgotten they were stainless steel.
"You do have to be careful not to split the bags and we did get a bit of a leak so make sure they are left somewhere where the chemicals won't damage any surface.
"It is the most expensive product I tried but this is great if you need to deep clean your oven once or twice a year.
"It's well worth the £11.95."
- Ease of use: 10/10
- Effectiveness: 10/10
- Value for money: 8/10
- Overall rating: 10/10
Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner
- £2.99
- Tesco.com
Lynsey says: “In terms of minimal effort, this was great. Spray it on and leave for half an hour, before coming back to give the oven a good scrub.
"For the price I’d say it did a good job and was the least faff to use out of all the cleaners I tried. It was the best product for cleaning the oven door as the foam sticks to it and then you wipe it away.
"However, it is caustic and the chemicals were very strong so you’ll need to take care to protect skin and eyes.
"Keep windows open too if you can. I found the smell quite over-powering and it would put me off using it too often.
"Also, do beware how much you pay for this.
"Prices varied massively across supermarkets from £3.65 at Waitrose to £2.99 in Tesco or via Amazon.
"If you’re going to use it may as well pay the best price.”
- Ease of use: 10/10
- Effectiveness: 9/10
- Value for money: 10/10
- Overall rating: 8/10
Oven Pride Deep Cleaner
- £4
- Waitrose.co.uk
Lynsey says: “Scrubbing oven racks is my favourite part of my least favourite job but the bags that come with this kit do help restore their shine more quickly.
"I barely had to scrub at all to remove heavy soiling from inside the oven but there was a large amount of residue which needed wiping away.
"You have to spray and leave for at least four hours, ideally overnight. I found this a bit of a pain as it’s not the last thing you want to do at the end of each day and the start of each morning but it do a good job.
"I was disappointed that it couldn’t be used on the glass door. It's similar to the Elbow Grease kit and though it's only a third of the price, it didn't work as well."
- Ease of use: 7/10
- Effectiveness: 7/10
- Value for money: 10/10
- Overall rating: 7/10
Oven Cleaner by Sainsbury’s
- £2
- Sainsburys.co.uk
Lynsey says: “This cleaner from Sainsbury's wasn’t the best for deep cleaning but I’m glad I gave it a go.
"It wasn’t the best for the dirty inside of the oven but it brought the stainless steel hob up like new.
"Not a bad product to have in your kitchen cupboard for everyday use and perhaps to stop a build-up of burnt-on grime in the first place.
"Cheap and cheerful. There was a bit of an issue with the spray cap, it wasn't every easy to open."
- Ease of use: 8/10
- Effectiveness: 3/10
- Value for money: 5/10
- Overall rating: 3/10
Jeyes BBQ & Oven Cleaner
- £2.99
- Robertdyas.co.uk
Lynsey says: “This is only £2.99 but I didn't really like it, too much scrubbing involved after spraying and the results weren't brilliant.
"I wouldn't buy it again."
- Ease of use: 3/10
- Effectiveness: 4/10
- Value for money: 4/10
- Overall rating: 4/10
HG Oven Grill and Barbecue Cleaner
- £6
- diy.com
Lynsey says: “I liked that this can also be used to clean grills and barbecues as it means one less bottle clogging up the cupboard under the sink.
"It’s a trigger spray and about 50% of heavily burnt-on dirt was cleaned away in one sweep.
"However, it generated a lot of residue and that took several bowls of hot water to clear away.
"It recommended wiping away with a damp cloth, but really I wanted to use a scourer to get the oven clean.
"The interior needed buffing up afterwards.”
- Ease of use: 7/10
- Effectiveness: 5/10
- Value for money: 4/10
- Overall rating: 6/10
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